We’ve heard this before, that the BMW M Division might delve into the world of electrification just a bit in the near future. While there are no definitive plans or actual electric projects in place for BMW M, the option is always there and the famous motorsport division isn’t opposed to doing an electric car. So long as it can still deliver the same performance, handling and thrill-factor its ars are known for.
When speaking with Car Advice, Alexander Kotouc, head of product management for BMW, said that BMW M could possibly one day develop a an electric or hybrid car. “If you look at the plug-in hybrids, most of the cars we sell have the M Sport package,” said Kotouc, “people are willing to go into a car that is part-electric, but still want the looks and feel of an M Sports package.”
Kotouc even entertained the idea of joining forces with BMW’s i Division. “If we built something like a high-performance car or a supersports electric car, why shouldn’t it be something like an ‘iM’ car?” That would be interesting but sounds a bit far off, at the moment. If such a car were to happen, we can see it for something unique, not a variant of an existing BMW, like the M3.
BMW’s M Division is clearly unafraid to branch out into untested waters, as evidenced by the upcoming F90-gen BMW M5. The new M5 will be the first non-SUV M car to have all-wheel drive, something that many M fans scoffed at. However, the brand has done it in a way that’s in keeping with the ethos of BMW M. So it can switch the all-wheel drive off and become completely rear-wheel drive. BMW M has always said that it will use whatever technology possible to deliver on their driving performance standards, so long as it’s able to retain its signature handling characteristics. Electrification is no different.
Kotouc explains that if BMW M were to offer an electric car, it would still remain a proper BMW M car. “I promise you one thing, BMW will bring [EVs] that have equal kind of acceleration that makes it a BMW, and you can take it through corners on a racetrack and it will behave like a BMW,”
[Source: CarAdvice]